Churton Park
Encyclopedia
| Churton Park | |
| Suburb | Churton Park |
| City | Wellington Wellington Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range... |
| Island | North Island North Island The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island... |
| Surrounded By: | |
|---|---|
| To the North | Tawa Tawa, New Zealand Tawa is the northernmost suburb of Wellington located between Churton Park and Porirua in the North Island of New Zealand. It takes its name from the broadleaf tree, which was once prolific throughout the area, although its most famous tree is the Bucket Tree, a group of large macrocarpa with the... |
| To the East | Glenside Glenside, New Zealand Glenside is a suburb of Wellington, New Zealand. It is bounded by Tawa to the North, Churton Park to the West/South and Grenada Village across the motorway to the East.Glenside was first settled in 1840. Ngāti Toa are the mana whenua... , Newlands Newlands, New Zealand Newlands is one of the northern suburbs of Wellington, New Zealand. It lies approximately 8km north of the city centre and to the east of its nearest neighbour Johnsonville. Newlands is located in a valley and covers two ridgelines, the side of one of which overlooks Wellington Harbour and up to... , Grenada Village, Paparangi |
| To the South | Johnsonville Johnsonville, New Zealand Johnsonville is a large suburb in northern Wellington, New Zealand. It is seven kilometres north of the city centre, at the top of the Ngauranga Gorge, on the main route to Porirua . The population of "J'ville" was about 6,500 at the 2001 census.- Public transport :Johnsonville is a reasonably... |
| To the West | Ohariu Valley, Makara, Tasman Sea Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European... |
| Schools | |
| Primary | Churton Park School |
| Local Intermediates and Colleges | Raroa Normal Intermediate, Newlands Intermediate, Onslow College Onslow College Onslow College is a decile 10 co-educational state secondary school located in Johnsonville, a suburb of Wellington, New Zealand. The school opened in 1956 to serve the city's rapidly-growing northern suburbs. The new Principal will be Mr. Peter Leggat, and he will begin at the start of the School... , Newlands College Newlands College Newlands College is a state co-educational secondary school located in Newlands, Wellington, New Zealand, and is adjacent to . It is a uniformed school. The current principal is Grant Jones. The current deputy principals are Deb Mills, David Pegram, and James Rasmussen. John Murdoch, former deputy... |
Churton Park is a suburb located 1.5 km north of Johnsonville
Johnsonville, New Zealand
Johnsonville is a large suburb in northern Wellington, New Zealand. It is seven kilometres north of the city centre, at the top of the Ngauranga Gorge, on the main route to Porirua . The population of "J'ville" was about 6,500 at the 2001 census.- Public transport :Johnsonville is a reasonably...
in the Northern Suburbs district of Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, the capital city of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It was established in the 1970s, and has a population of 6,260 residents.
The suburb includes over 1500 households, 'Churton Park' (a recreational sports field), primary schools (one existing, one under construction), and a kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
. A local community center with shops is planned and construction began in February 2011.
The suburb has an active community residents association who meet monthly at the Churton Park School. Along with general community advocacy they organise the annual free community Christmas party and also a car boot fair in March of each year.
Geography
The geography of the land is quite hilly and has dense bush in some areas that have not been excavated for housing sub-divisions. Steep hills eventually extend over to the Ohariu Valley nearby. Many people may use unofficial trails to climb the surrounding hills as a pastime and they are popular among thrill-seeking motorcyclists.Weather
The micro-climate that is experienced by residents of Churton Park is only slightly different than that of surrounding Johnsonville, but it much warmer and much less windy than Wellington due to its sheltering from the Cook StraitCook Strait
Cook Strait is the strait between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It connects the Tasman Sea on the west with the South Pacific Ocean on the east....
. It rarely snows here, apart from the most recent winter of 2011 which shut down busses and roads breifly and caused some students and workers to stay home for a few days.
Shops
The Churton Park store dairy is located near Churton Drive on Middleton Road.The nearest mall is Johnsonville Mall in Johnsonville. A new village centre with shops is expected to be built in Churton Park, and construction is expected to get underway in 2011.
A garden shop and a cafe is located on Middelton road in Glenside.
Schools
Churton Park has two state primary schools that cater for pupils up to Year 6. Churton Park SchoolChurton Park School
Churton Park School is a primary school in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand.It will be one of two primary schools in Churton Park when Amesbury Drive School opens in 2012.-Blocks:...
on Churton Drive is an established school. The school's roll has rapidly increased over the years. To accommodate these increases, there have been many renovations to the school's buildings between 1997 and 2007. In 2006, to help manage roll growth, the School Board proposed an amendment to the existing zoning policy/area. This was heatedly debated in the community as the proposal would have removed several long-standing Churton Park streets from the Zone. The associated community concern, protest action and lobbying by the Campaign for Local Schooling and parent feedback resulted in the announcement by the Ministry of Education in 2007 that a new (larger) school site would be developed in the local area. On 17 March 2009, Minister of Education Anne Tolley
Anne Tolley
Anne Merrilyn Tolley is a politician representing the New Zealand National Party. With the formation of the Fifth National Government in late 2008, she became the Minister of Education, the first woman ever to assume the role.Tolley is the Member for the East Coast electorate, representing...
announced that a second primary school would be built in the area instead.
Amesbury School on Amesbury Drive will open in 2012..
Churton Park also has a little school located on Melksham Drive off Westchester Drive and a kindergarten located next to Churton Park School.
There are no intermediate schools or colleges within the area, so many students attend Raroa Normal Intermediate, Newlands Intermediate Onslow College
Onslow College
Onslow College is a decile 10 co-educational state secondary school located in Johnsonville, a suburb of Wellington, New Zealand. The school opened in 1956 to serve the city's rapidly-growing northern suburbs. The new Principal will be Mr. Peter Leggat, and he will begin at the start of the School...
and Newlands College
Newlands College
Newlands College is a state co-educational secondary school located in Newlands, Wellington, New Zealand, and is adjacent to . It is a uniformed school. The current principal is Grant Jones. The current deputy principals are Deb Mills, David Pegram, and James Rasmussen. John Murdoch, former deputy...
; all within the local Johnsonville
Johnsonville, New Zealand
Johnsonville is a large suburb in northern Wellington, New Zealand. It is seven kilometres north of the city centre, at the top of the Ngauranga Gorge, on the main route to Porirua . The population of "J'ville" was about 6,500 at the 2001 census.- Public transport :Johnsonville is a reasonably...
and Newlands area.
Mining
A number of historic gold mining shafts are present within this area. The Tawa Flats All Luck Gold Mining Company of 1881 had shafts in the area including one which is now buried beneath Erlestoke Crescent in Churton Park.Public Transport
Churton Park is serviced by scheduled bus services mainly provided by Mana Coach Services. Route 54 is the primary service that provides direct connection from Churton Park to Johnsonville HubJohnsonville Railway Station
Johnsonville railway station is the terminus of the Johnsonville Line, one of eight stations on the commuter branch railway north of Wellington in New Zealand’s North Island...
, Wellington Railway Station
Wellington Railway Station
Wellington Railway Station is the southern terminus of New Zealand's North Island Main Trunk railway, Wairarapa Line and Johnsonville Line. In terms of number of services and in passenger numbers, it is New Zealand's busiest railway station.-Development:...
and Courtenay Place
Courtenay Place, Wellington
Courtenay Place is the main street of the Courtenay Quarter in the Wellington, New Zealand inner-city district of Te Aro.Courtenay Place is known for its entertainment and nightlife. Many restaurants are open late and most of the bars stay open until dawn...
. There is also a regular bus service north to Tawa and Porirua.